Industry & OBH News

OBH Staff Profile | David Sweeney

david sweeney

Business Development & Account Manager

45 years of continuous service with one company. It must be some sort of record! David Sweeney is a humble man, who will leave an impressive list of relationships from his time with Openbook Howden.

From the feedback we received from David’s clients when he announced his planned retirement, it’s clear that his ability to go the extra mile has made him the successful account manager, and much respected colleague and friend that he is. We asked David a few questions so we could find out more about the expert on all things history books.

What drew you to OBH originally? And how has it changed since?

I had no career path planned when I left school, and Lutheran Publishing House (now OBH) was looking for a delivery driver for the press department. My mother said that was all I was qualified to do – so I applied!

I bet everyone asks what it’s like to have worked for the one company for 45 years. What do you tell them?

It’s people that make life interesting and there has been new faces often enough to keep me on my toes. There has always been technological change to make the workplace interesting.

What did you start doing and what roles have you done since?

I started as a delivery driver for the first 6 months, and then into the press office for training. From there I dabbled as a marketing assistant, and then retail management. I later settled back into the printing department. Having had a variety of roles within printing, I have always enjoyed the liaison with customers. It’s what I’m most passionate about.

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

The variety of customers, and the many different products we print, has always made work diverse and challenging.